'King' Dalmiya announces Rs 50 lakh reward

Kolkata :The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday hailed the Indian team's victory over Pakistan in the Test series as a 'historic moment' and immediately announced a Rs 50 lakh bonus for Sourav Ganguly's team.

"I join the rest of the country in congratulating the team for this historic win", an elated BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya said immediately after the team won the third Test in Rawalpindi and the series by 2-1.

Dalmiya further said it is noteworthy because this is the first time an Indian team had won a Test series in Pakistan and we are proud for that".

"The team was brilliant," said Dalmiya.

"As a token of appreciation of the team's performance I announce a reward of Rs 50 lakh for the team".

BCCI had earlier awarded Rs 50 lakh to the Indian team for its 3-2 victory in the five match One-day series. Dalmiya said that the win in the One-day series was "creditable" but, "this spectacular win in the Test series has assumed more significance as it has happened for the first time in more than 50 years of cricketing relations between the two countries".

Dalmiya, however, said, "it is a historical occasion not because one team has won and another has lost, but because we have been able to achieve the goal of bringing the people of two countries closer through cricket".

"Despite all apprehensions before the series, it turned out to be fantastic. The real winner was cricket", He added.